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August 2012

Sliding Sinker Rig

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This is perhaps the most popular bottom rig used anywhere in the world due to it's simple construction & effectiveness. Most tie their rig using a combination of hook, leader, hollow sinker & barrel swivel. Personally, I am not in favor of too many terminal tackles on a rig. Preferring to have just the minimal, I tie mine differently as I'll illustrate here.

The reason for the rig's effectiveness is it will allow the fish to pull bait gently without spooking it. This way, the angler will know if there is a take & get ready to set the hook. With a circle hook, there is no need to set the hook as the circle-hooks are designed in such a way fish will hook themselves on the lips when they try to spit the bait out.

Under what conditions should I use a Sliding Sinker Rig?
* when the basic bottom rig is too light & you need to cast to a further distance.
* when you need to present a smaller, lighter bait so you need a sinker on your rig.
* in rivers or saltwater fishing.

The components to assemble the rig
Size# 1/0 circle hook. (Adjust size according to target fish.)
15" of 50lb clear mono leader of diameter 0.65mm.
28" of 20lb clear mono line of diameter 0.30mm
Long oval hollow sinker. (Adjust size according to casting distance & bait size)

STEP1
Snell the hook with the 50lb mono leader. With a 0.65mm diameter leader, you can be assured of catching even some toothy fishes the likes of Pacu & Snakeheads which will take them some effort to bite off. It would also be less visible compared to trace wires.
Instructions on how to Snell a hook.

STEP2
Join the 50lb leader with the 20lb line using an Albright knot. Make about 20 turns to form the Albright. For stronger & more secured join, apply some fast 4min dry glue onto the knot. [Optional] You may want to add a bead on top of the Albright. Instructions on how to tie an Albright Knot

STEP3
Insert 20lb line through the sinker & slide it down to the Albright knot area. The much thicker diameter of the Albright knot will hold the sinker in place without it sliding all the way down to the hook. If the sinker's hollowed hole is still larger than the Albright knot, just use a pair of pliers to crimp & tighten the opening to reduce the diameter just a little bit yet the sinker is still able to slide up & down with minimal friction.



Done! Now you are ready to fish.

I find that by rigging without a swivel, the presentation is more natural. This is an effective rig for Pacu, Tilapia & Carp. Fishes that feed at the bottom. Some other modifications that I do is to color the sinker black to further mask it.


UPDATE - 12th September 2012 - Duel Hook Sliding Sinker Rig

Lately, I've been experimenting with a duel-hook sliding sinker rig & the results is most pleasing. I've already landed a few whoppers with this rig. Here's how it looks.
  

Instructions on how to construct the rig.
(1) Take a length of 14 to 20inch of either mono or braided line as leader. Tie a hook by snelling them on each end.
(2) Take the mid-section of the leader & tie a Palomar knot onto a barrel swivel.
(3) Tie a leader onto the other ring of the barrel swivel either with a Palomar or Clinch knot.
(4) Slide a sinker through the upper leader & terminate the end with a loop knot. DONE!

This rig is best used for dough or groundbait fishing but can be effective for dead baits too.

Paternoster Rig

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I often use this rig for saltwater fishing, especially for vertical presentations hunting for smaller fishes from piers, jetty, boat or even from the banks. Very popular at M'sian kelong fishing, locals call this the Apollo rig. It's a moderately complicated rig to tie but for an experienced angler, rigging a 2-hook Paternoster rig would usually take less than 15mins.

This is a popular rig to use for fishing small fishes in the range of 500g to 1kg. Popular baits to use are cockles, cut baits & squids.

Instructions below on how to create the rig:
  1. Start with a single long 1.5m strand of 30 to 50lb mono line as leader.
  2. Make 2 to 3 dropper loops along the line, about 5 to 7in apart. The loops extend out to about 4in.
  3. Tie a swivel on each end.
  4. Attach a clip to the bottom swivel to facilitate easy swapping of sinkers.
  5. Join hook to each end of the dropper loop.
  6. Clip on a sinker & you are ready to fish.
NOTES: Always remember to use small hooks & conceal/embed the hooks into the bait to make presentation more discreet.

Some prefer to avoid using swivels & clips as they feel it would spook the fishes but personally, I would as swivels help to prevent line twist. Using a clip, a small one, makes changing sinker faster & easier.

A Gelama by Calvin on Paternoster rig 

Another Gelama by Calvin

A 1kg Stingray on Paternoster rig

Shimano FX

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I'm a budget angler. My choice of tackles is mostly value for money products which I feel is reasonable & deliver's satisfactory performance for the price I pay.

Shimano FX 1000FB
I'm doing a review of Shimano's latest budget reel offering, the FX series. I own two of the series, a 1000 & another 2500 models. Both have performed well helping me to catch fish after fish. Although both reels cost less than RM 60, they have proven to be reliable & relatively tough. Easy to maintain too. The mostly hard graphite construction means the reels are light & rust proof. The aluminium spool also holds line well with even line laying even on braided lines. I mostly pair the Shimano FX for bait fishing since casting accuracy & distance is not a priority but reliability & toughness is.

Notice the even line laying?
My only complain of the FX series is the 1000's handle knob which is not ergonomic to handle. Often feels awkward especially when fighting a sizable fish beyond 1kg. The drag on both reels isn't top notch but is relatively smooth. I've fought a 2kg Pacu with the FX 1000 spooled with 10lb mono line & it performed admirably.

Being budget reels, it is advisable to service them regularly, especially after a long fishing trip (multiple fish fights) & after saltwater fishing. Although it's mostly graphite construction, some parts are still made from aluminium, especially the screws which tend to get rusty.

See how evenly braided line is stack on the spool?

Kelong fishing with the Shimano FX 1000FB

4kg Keli with the Shimano FX 1000FB

Toman fishing with the Shimano FX 1000FB




Check out Shimano South East Asia website for more details.

The Special Technique For Crappie Fishing

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The fishermen from both sides or a boat you can enjoy fishing for crappie can. As fishing techniques so many years, both have a number of advantages and disadvantages. Anglers have the option of either wading or from shore, dock or pier. Wade is a technique, a fisherman a greater degree of mobility within the reach of most fish, especially in the spring prior to the spawning season, in which the crappie in shallow water. Fishing boats offer the ultimate in mobility and the ability to fish crappies increased use of techniques such as bottom trawling or drift.
Crappies often use shadow ports or other floating structures for the summer. These areas are attractive because there is an abundance of food and water temperature is cooler. However, the fish on the docks or to be very productive.
Several of them and the province have in the hands of the lakes fishing piers. In many places the beds of the game are placed in the casting distance of the docks and crappie can be close to public structures exposed. Ring of beds successfully through the application of the bait at a height at which the primers are recognized float withdrawn at the top of the insert. Fishing in this way reduce the amount of material lost to strikes and win crappies bite.
Crappies mouth, soft, fleshy, often referred to as "paper mouths" called. The flexible membrane around the jaw must be careful fishermen in creating and managing crappie hook. Set the hook is not very difficult to break the mouth and lead to the loss of the fish.
Boat anglers generally drift fishing, trawling or fishing as before. Trawling is a very popular man-made lakes and productive druing the summer, when crappies suspended just above the thermocline, and are scattered around the lake. Drift can be released, an angler fish a large area and depth, depending on the amount of the line and to cover the weights. When the wind is too strong, and the bait too quickly, slow down the use of an anchor is the hard disk. In a situation where the wind is not sufficient to move the boat, electric motor works well. Remember, crappies prefer the bait moving.
However, fish works well when a large bank of fish are. The lines can be adjusted vertically to catch on the side of the boat. When the action slows down, poured a steady recovery to get the fish to the boat. Anchor in stands of flooded timber and other habitat structures will work well for fishing. Spend direct the way the staff head directly under a float in these habitats, or use a lure or bait suspended just above the structure.
Many of the same fishing methods used in the water crappie opening time also works well for ice fishing. Ice fishermen should not forget to exercise regularly to be found schools of fish. The species of fish in open waters is usually exposed and may need to experiment at different depths to find crappies.
Whether live or artificial bait is used, regular exercise. The movement often attracts fish in the area and caused strikes in general. Vertical Jigging Spoons have to move the wrist up, then with an arm. When using live bait and a float, take the float to the surface and the line is still shaking like a lot. Sometimes when fishing for crappie productive winter night than day. A gas-lamp is not only light to see, but often attracts curious fish.

Tampin Tilapia Challenge!

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Tampin, March 2012.

Recently, me & my buddies were invited for some Tilapia fishing at a private farm in Tampin, Negeri Sembilan. We had loads of fun catching fish after fish. Even though it was a private pond, that doesn't mean fishing was easy! To catch the Tilapia here, we had to have quick response & sound knowledge of our rigs & baits.

Arrival & setting up
First fish of the day
Another fish with a floating rig
A surprised catch, a healthy 1.5kg Lampam
Silly me, I accidentally dropped fish into a ravine & had to dig it out of a drain. No escape for fish!
My buddy Calvin setting up his rig.
Calvin trying for Haruans after getting fed up of Tilapias.
Fire starting session. After all the fishing then comes the BBQ-ing.
Instead of BBQ, we wrap the marinated Tilapia into tin foils & dump into the fire. Yum Yum!

Soft Plastic Baits

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My favorite bait for Haruan (Channa Striata) fishing. The wriggling action & supple body imitates live bait much better than hard lures. Haruans are not as aggressive as their larger cousins, the Toman (Channa Micropeltes), therefore, we need to use finesse rigs to get the Haruans to take your lure. Soft plastic baits can be rigged weedless too so it is the ideal bait to be used at swamps & thick vegetation waters where Haruans love to hide.

Special Hooks
To fish Soft plastic baits, one of the critical tackles to use is the (Extra Wide Gap ) EWG hooks. Some call it worm hooks or soft plastic hooks. The EWG hook is very different than normal hooks in that it has an extra wide gap as well as a bent neck to hold the SP bait in place without it sliding down on the hook. Another type of hook is the Octopus hook which can be used for another form of rigging, called Drop Shot rig.

Texas Rig
One of the easiest & effective SP rig is the Texas rig. This is as simple as just tying a Clinch or Palomar knot directly onto the eye of the hook & sliding down a bullet sinker or just any sliding sinker. Rig the SP onto the hook, make it weedless by pushing the hook point slightly embedded into it's body. That's it, you are ready to fish with the bait.


There are 3 ways that I normally play with the Texas rig.

A - Fast retrieve, skim the surface. This technique is used when I know the Haruan are active & in feeding mood. By fast retrieving, the bait tends to create a lot of vibrations on top water. This is to entice & lure the Haruan to make an attack.

B - Lift / drop. This is used when there are finicky Haruans in the water but they are less active & undecided whether to strike. This technique is also used when fishing in relatively deep waters ( more than 2m deep).

C - Slow retrieve, drag the bottom. I use this technique when I am not sure if there are any Haruans around. This is actually a good way to survey underwater structures. Being weedless, the chance of snagging is minimized.

Spinner with SP Trailer
Home made Spinner
One of my most effective Haruan lure. Normally you can purchase an Inline spinner from any tackle shop but I prefer to make my own. Just replace the treble hook with an EWG hook, rig it with a Berkley Powerbait Grub or just about any SP & you are good to go fishing. So far, this lure is most effective for Haruans (Common Snakeheads) in shallow waters.

Haruan caught on spinner
The technique for spinner is very simple. I mostly cast out to a fishy looking area, let it sink to the bottom (if it's not too weedy), give it a twitch & retrieve on a constant speed. Take note that due to blade design variations, some spinners require more speed to turn properly. Generally, the lesser speed to turn the blade the better. What you must control is to keep the spinner as much below the surface as possible.

Remember, for spinner fishing or any lure for that matter, when the fish is chasing, SPEED UP! the retrieve.


         


Soft Plastic Frogs
This is the lure that catches biggies! It may not get hits often but when it does, it's a big one for sure. My favorite SP frog are those weedless designs that comes with a skirted back & is floating. This mimics real frogs most naturally. The technique is to cast it out to the opposite bank, retrieve line to drag the frog back into water. Let it drop with some commotion, leave it floating for a few seconds then slowly retrieve it back in an enticing manner with frequent pause. The skill most important is to control the frog like a puppet, make it swim & hop just like a real frog.

When buying an SP frog. Stick to the smaller size ones.

There are many other forms of soft plastic baits in the market but I find that the 3 designs mentioned above are the most effective partly due to their simplicity. For those who does boat fishing, you could try the popular Drop Shot rig that is making waves in US Bass fishing.

Kentucky Cave Run Lake Muskie Fishing

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Cave Run Lake is located on Kentucky’s Licking River in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The 8,700-acre reservoir is often called "the Muskie Capital of the South," due to its outstanding muskellunge fishery.

Angler Sarah Terry of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, caught the current Kentucky state-record muskellunge in Cave Run Lake in November 2008. The record setting muskie was 54 inches long and weighed 47 pounds. A clipped fin revealed that the fish was stocked by the KYDFWR.

Since 1973, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KYDFWR) has stocked 105,000 muskellunge into Cave Run Lake. Cave Run Lake is one of three quality muskellunge reservoirs managed by the agency.

source: Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

2011 North Dakota Angler Survey

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Unprecedented flooding caused a slight decline in North Dakota fishing license sales during 2011. According to North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s annual angler survey, resident licenses were down 2 percent compared to 2010. However, angler participation and effort actually increased.

The survey indicated 111,000 (up 9,000 from previous year) resident anglers fished open water, while 48,000 (up 15,000) residents fished through the ice. “Access was the key for the big increase in winter anglers,” Power said. “We didn’t have the severe winters like we had the previous three years.”

Major North Dakota fishing destinations include Lake Sakakawea, Devils Lake and the Missouri River/Lake Oahe. Numerous small lakes and rivers play a large role for anglers as well. According to North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 300 small lakes, reservoirs and rivers in the state receive nearly 50 percent of all fishing effort.

source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department

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